(July 25, 2017) Ben Wilson’s goals have always been in TV play-by-play. Coming out of college, though, he knew that radio was the place to hone those skills. Now, after two years in radio, Wilson is joining the play-by-play roster at Mediacom Sports TV in Columbia, MO.
Mediacom broadcasts high school football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball, and has contracts with Columbia College (NAIA) and the University of Missouri hockey club.
“In the past year or so, Mediacom has made a lot of great improvements with their overall on-air product, and also expressed a desire to streamline their usage of play-by-play broadcasters,” says Wilson. “The thought of calling all of their games throughout the year was greatly appealing to me.”
Wilson moves to Mediacom from KRES Radio in Moberly, MO where he was an announcer, news reporter and play-by-play broadcaster.
This will not be Wilson’s first experience with Mediacom.
“I actually started working for Mediacom Sports on a part-time basis several years ago while an undergrad at Mizzou. I called a handful of games for them each year, and continued to do so after taking a full-time job at KRES.
“Working for Mediacom Sports, as well as picking up additional games for Fox Sports Midwest, will allow me to get a full, year-round slate of TV play-by-play. In the past, I’ve only been able to call a few TV games each year as a result of having a full-time radio job. These new opportunities will allow me to enhance my TV demo, while also giving me much more scheduling flexibility.”
Though TV play-by-play has always been his goal, Wilson knew that radio was the right first step for him after graduating from Missouri.
“I really focused on finding something that would give me as many reps as possible and allow me to grow on the air. To that end, KRES Radio has been a great fit. In my two years at the station, I’ve called about 75 games per year and developed exponentially in every area of play-by-play.”
Wilson says there is no substitute for the volume of reps he earned at KRES. “It’s one of the main reasons why so many young broadcasters come to Moberly and work for and learn from a Hall-of-Fame broadcaster in Brad Boyer.
“I think getting your start in radio and having an initial radio play-by-play background pays massive dividends for all broadcasters, even if you see yourself calling games for a major TV network down the road. If it wasn’t for KRES allowing me to grow the way I have as a broadcaster, there isn’t any way I’d have the types of TV opportunities I do now.”